The Hunter

A Novel

By: Tana French

Narrated by: Roger Clark

Length: 16 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

An Instant New York Times Bestseller

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2024 by the Washington Post, TIME Magazine, BBC, TODAY, Elle, CrimeReads, and more

"Hailed as the queen of Irish crime fiction, French spins a taut tale of retribution, sacrifice, and family."—TIME

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Searcher and “one of the greatest crime novelists writing today” (Vox), a spellbinding new novel set in the Irish countryside.

It’s a blazing summer when two men arrive in a small village in the West of Ireland. One of them is coming home. Both of them are coming to get rich. One of them is coming to die.

Cal Hooper took early retirement from Chicago PD and moved to rural Ireland looking for peace. He’s found it, more or less: he’s built a relationship with a local woman, Lena, and he’s gradually turning Trey Reddy from a half-feral teenager into a good kid going good places. But then Trey’s long-absent father reappears, bringing along an English millionaire and a scheme to find gold in the townland, and suddenly everything the three of them have been building is under threat. Cal and Lena are both ready to do whatever it takes to protect Trey, but Trey doesn’t want protecting. What she wants is revenge.

From the writer who is “in a class by herself,” (The New York Times), a nuanced, atmospheric tale that explores what we’ll do for our loved ones, what we’ll do for revenge, and what we sacrifice when the two collide.

©2024 Tana French (P)2024 Penguin Audio

As good as it gets

This is a book to read slowly and savor.

It is the second book in the storyline and it was brilliantly crafted. If you enjoyed the Searcher, The Hunter will not disappoint.
The character development, interpersonal relationships and plot line were incredibly well done. I love the characters and find myself attached to them after this second book. I’ve read all of Tana French and she truly is the best of the best. This series is different from her usual in that they are not overwhelmingly tragic, and the main characters are wholesome and likable. Don’t get me wrong I’ve loved all of her darker novels and twisted characters as well, but it’s refreshing to have something lighter, although I find myself worrying about the characters knowing what French is capable of 😅. Feeling more reassured despite some hardships, this series is as close to finding a happy ending as we’re going to get with her.

In a day where it seems everyone and their mother can publish a book, great authors like French stand apart. If you need action on every page or detailed sex senes to hold your attention, however, this may not be the read for you.

The story is of a retired Chicago cop who moves to a small town in Ireland. There is a lot of silence within -- between people giving each other emotional space, between family members pondering the future, between neighbors stewing about the past.

We met Cal, the cop, in the first book where he begins mentoring teenage Trey whose family is a train wreck. Her grifter dad had split and her older brother had disappeared. Trey is a young woman of few words but she doesn't miss much. Cal and his girlfriend Lena represent the only stability and structure in Trey's life. When Trey's con man daddy Johnny reappears, it sets in motion a disastrous chain of events.

The beauty of this book is the wonderful characterizations, sparsely yet completely drawn. Cal is a good man but he has no illusions, particularly about Johnny, who is just like every loser Cal encountered in his long law enforcement career. Trey has become like another daughter to Cal and he will do anything to protect her. But Trey doesn't particularly want to be sheltered and is feisty and independent. And she has an agenda of her own.

Beautifully written and Narrated

The characters are so well fleshed out and likable - in a raw way - that I want to meet them again in another book. French captured the town and the weather’s moodiness underlying the unfolding storyline. The narrator/actor was excellent. He’s my new favorite.

Best sequel ever!

Tana French nails this sequel…. and Roger Clark nails the narration. That’s all that needs to be said for anyone remotely interested in this superb story.

An Emerald of a Novel

Superb writing and riveting performance — the opportunity to listen to colloquial. Irish speech was a real treat! 

Better Than The Last

I absolutely loved this story... I hope Ms French will continue to write about these people.

Pretty much perfection for the novel and narration

Interior lives of these people and sense of place, captivating and breathtaking. The narrator is perfect for this novel, voice and cadence is mesmerizing. And a satisfying ending!

Her best yet

Penetrating beautiful expressive humor respect. Those are my feelings about this. And adeptly narrated too.

ye olde Iriswh tale

It had been four years since book #1 was written but the author did a pretty good job of reminding you of the things from the first book you needed to remember, almost all anyway.

But you go back to small village in rural Ireland somewhere and get to know the characters again and understand the lifestyle as told by the author. She goes into great detail explaining how life their works and you have great empathy for the main people.

It seemed a bit slow getting going but once you are into the characters again and the bad apple has come home with a get rich scheme and are caught up in the story and it became a page turner while Youk your way through it.

I'm not sure what the plot would be but I'd be happy to see another book in the series.

A great read

I really loved the story line of this book. I loved the reader. I loved that it was set in Ireland. It started out a bit slow, but it wasn’t so slow it ever lost me. The ending was great. I highly suggest. A good read.

As always, a beautiful story.

The story, the setting and the character development is amazing as always. The mystery/crime is there, but it’s slow to develop and twisted into the story rather than feeling like it’s the sole purpose for the novel. I truly think that’s what I like most about Tana French. This novel is so much more than a simple “who dun it”.